Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp has announced a special legislative session starting June 17 to redraw the state's electoral maps, making Georgia the latest southern state to initiate map-making after the US Supreme Court's decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act.
Special Session Details
The session will focus on "enacting, revising, repealing, or amending" district lines for the state legislature and congressional districts, in response to the Supreme Court's ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. Kemp, whose term ends in January, stated that the state will not redraw boundaries for this year's elections, with primaries set for next Tuesday. Instead, the redistricting effort aims to lock in Republican-leaning maps while the party still holds power in the legislature and governor's office.
Potential Impact on Black Representation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that Republicans may seek to draw Democratic Representative Sanford Bishop, a Black congressman who has served since 1993, out of his seat. Other districts face risks of a "dummymander," where aggressive redrawing backfires on the majority party. Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia vowed to fight the move, stating, "There is an extreme movement in this country that will stop at nothing to hold on to power, even if it means stripping representation away from millions."
Supreme Court Ruling and Aftermath
In April, the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana's districts drawn under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prevents racial discrimination in voting, constituted an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. This decision effectively dilutes Black and minority voting power, marking a major upheaval in civil rights law. Following the ruling, several states rushed to redraw maps:
- Louisiana: Set aside tens of thousands of ballots already cast in an ongoing election to eliminate a Black-majority district around Baton Rouge.
- Alabama: Received Supreme Court approval to use a map previously deemed discriminatory to Black voters.
- Tennessee: Authorized new maps that eliminated the state's lone Democratic, Black-majority congressional district.
- South Carolina: Defied pressure from former President Trump to redraw maps, voting against a plan for new districts.
- Virginia: Voters approved a measure for more Democratic-leaning districts, but the state Supreme Court threw out the map; the state is now appealing to the US Supreme Court.
Mid-Decade Redistricting Frenzy
The racial gerrymandering frenzy has intensified an already busy mid-decade redistricting cycle, meaning many voters will face new districts in this year's elections—a historic rarity outside of the decennial census redistricting. Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years after the US census, with some states using independent commissions and others engaging in highly partisan processes. Since last year, a wave of states have pushed through new districts after Trump pressured Republican-led states to create more favorable House seats, anticipating GOP losses in the midterms. Some Democratic-led states have responded in kind, remaking maps to favor their side.
Georgia's special session will also address issues related to a new law banning QR codes on ballots, set to take effect in July.
